Black Currant Jam
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Enjoy this delicious homemade black currant jam spread on toast, scones, ice cream, hot buttered rolls, pancakes, waffles, grilled meats, meatballs or used in muffins, tarts, cakes, pastries and more! It’s easy to make and is made without pectin.
Slather this black currant jam on our homemade Crumpets or Sourdough English Muffins for a real treat! You can even add some of it to your BBQ Sauce for a fruity boost of flavor, yum!
Whether you’re making black currant jam or a delicious fruity sauce to serve with roast duck, black currants have such a unique and distinctive flavor that their flavor is immediately recognizable. Not only are they delicious, they’re very high in good stuff like vitamin C and polyphenol phytochemicals.
What Are Black Currants?
Native to Europe and Asia, black currants remain popular throughout those continents but are unfortunately almost completely unknown in the U.S.. Though that wasn’t always the case. They were popular in the early days of the American colonies and through the 19th century until they were banned for nearly a century for being the vector of something called “white pine blister rust” that threatened the U.S. logging industry. That ban has been lifted in most states and in the last 15 years black currants have very sloooowly started making a comeback in some states (meaning a tiny handful of people now know what they are).
I was already acquainted with blackcurrants from having grown up in Germany but it wasn’t until I moved to England that I really became acquainted with them. It seemed aisle after aisle at the grocery store were products flavored with blackcurrant; everything from jams, jellies, juices, sodas, candies, pastries, cheeses and more.
Very popular in England and Germany where I grew up and throughout Western Europe, it was a shock when I moved to the U.S. and couldn’t find them anywhere – along with red currants and gooseberries – nor had most Americans I met even heard of them let alone tried them. The solution: Grow my own! And grow our own we did. Every year now we harvest fresh blackcurrants, red currants and gooseberries. Where there’s a will there’s a way!
How to Use Black Currant Jam
Enjoy this lovely jam on:
- Bread/toast, buttered rolls, scones, crumpets, English muffins
- Pancakes and waffles (try our delicious whole wheat sourdough waffles)
- Cheesecake (try our German Cheese Cake)
- Ice cream
- As a glaze for meatballs or served on the side
- In vinaigrettes and marinades
- With grilled/roasted duck, game or seafood
- In tarts, pies, cakes, muffins, puddings, cookie bars, and other pastries
- On rice pudding
- Mixed in your favorite bbq sauce for a nice fruity contrast
Black Currant Jam Recipe
Let’s get started!
Wash the berries and remove the stems and dried tips. Place the black currants in a medium stock pot along with the water.
Bring to a boil then simmer for about 10 minutes until the berries are softened.
Add the sugar and lemon juice.
Simmer until the temperature registers 220 degrees F. (I use an instant read thermometer.)
If the berries are too large you can use a potato masher to mash them.
If you’re going to use the jam within a few months, pour the jam into sterilized jars and once cool store in the fridge.
How to Can Black Currant Jam
In most places outside the U.S. the water bath canning method is unknown. Usually the hot jam is simply poured into sterilized jars and sealed. However, if you would like to use the water bath canning method proceed as follows: Ladle the hot jam into sterilized jars, wipe the rims of the jars and screw on the lids. Process the jars in a water bath canner (5 minutes for half pints, 10 minutes for pints and quarts). Carefully remove the jars and let them sit undisturbed for 24 hours before removing the rings and storing the jars in a dark cool place.
Properly canned the jam will keep for at least a year.
Otherwise store in the fridge where it will keep for a few months.
Enjoy!
For more homemade jam recipes be sure to try my:
- Blackberry Jam
- Red Currant Jelly
- Gooseberry Jam
- Huckleberry Jam
- Plum Jam
- Plum Butter
- Strawberry Rhubarb Jam
- Blueberry Lemon Apricot Jam
- Peach Bacon Jam
- Lemon Lime Marmalade
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Black Currant Jam
Ingredients
- 4 cups fresh or frozen black currants , washed, stemmed and dried tips removed
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 4 cups cane sugar (black currants are more acidic and less sweet than other berries but you can use less sugar if preferred)
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Instructions
- Place the black currants in a medium stock pot along with the water. Bring to a boil then simmer for about 10 minutes until the berries are softened. Add the sugar and lemon juice and simmer until the temperature registers 220 degrees F. (I use an instant read thermometer.)
- If you're going to use the jam within a few months, pour the jam into sterilized jars and once cool store in the fridge.For long-term storage you can use the water bath canning method: Ladle the hot jam into sterilized jars, wipe the rims of the jars and screw on the lids. Process the jars in a water bath canner (5 minutes for half pints, 10 minutes for pints and quarts). Carefully remove the jars and let them sit undisturbed for 24 hours before removing the rings and storing them in a dark cool place. Makes about 3 pints.
Nutrition
Originally published on The Daring Gourmet July 20, 2019
Hi, I’m Kimberly Killebrew and welcome to Daring Gourmet where you'll find delicious originals, revitalized classics, and simply downright good eats from around the world! Originally from Germany, later raised in England, world-traveled, and now living in the U.S., from my globally-influenced kitchen I invite you to tour the world through your taste buds!
I make this with less sugar and we put it on everything. I also add cinnamon and cloves. Amazing on brownies, chocolate ice cream and yogurt. I’d even admit to a spoonful out of the jar here and there :) The hard part is finding the currents, so load up when you do!
Thanks so much for the feedback, Jenny, I appreciate it! <3
Hello, thank you for sharing all your lovely recipes.
May I ask what you mean by this step?
“Remove the rim”?
Carefully remove the jars and let them sit undisturbed for 24 hours before removing the rims and storing them in a dark cool place to store.
Thank you.
Hi Gayle, that should read “ring” :) Dedicated canning lids come with two parts – the lids and the rings. The lid will remain on the jar and you can remove the rings after 24 hours.
Can you use dried black currants?
Hi Gail, what is typically called “dried black currants” aren’t actually black currants at all, they are zante grapes (tiny raisins). Even if you took the time to reconstitute them first (which you would need to do), I don’t know what the equivalent of dried would be and the resulting jam wouldn’t taste anything like black currants. I do not recommend it.
Hi, can you include metric weights and volumes, thanks
Hi Broc, to the right of the list of ingredients you’ll see buttons for “US Customary” and “Metric”. If you click on “Metric” it will convert the measurements into metric.
Would there possibly be a way to make this like cranberry sauce for thanksgiving?